Skylands Capital LLC Makes New $1.01 Million Investment in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)

Skylands Capital LLC acquired a new position in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 79,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,010,000. Skylands Capital LLC owned approximately 0.10% of National Vision at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of EYE. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 138.6% in the fourth quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 4,675,539 shares of the company's stock worth $48,719,000 after buying an additional 2,715,582 shares in the last quarter. Engine Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 127.5% in the fourth quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 2,528,053 shares of the company's stock worth $26,342,000 after buying an additional 1,417,002 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners purchased a new position in shares of National Vision in the fourth quarter worth $12,594,000. SG Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Vision in the fourth quarter worth $11,827,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 81.5% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,308,375 shares of the company's stock worth $24,053,000 after buying an additional 1,036,459 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at National Vision

In related news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of National Vision stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total transaction of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,700 shares in the company, valued at $219,375. This trade represents a 50.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EYE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup raised shares of National Vision from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $13.00 to $21.00 in a report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $18.67.

National Vision Trading Up 0.5%

EYE stock traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $23.17. 1,987,055 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,921,302. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.54. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $9.56 and a one year high of $23.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a PE ratio of -70.21, a PEG ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $18.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.02.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. National Vision had a negative net margin of 1.40% and a positive return on equity of 3.44%. The business had revenue of $510.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $510.30 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.32 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

National Vision Company Profile

National Vision Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an optical retailer in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Owned & Host and Legacy. It offers eyeglasses and contact lenses, and optical accessory products; provides eye exams through its America's Best, Eyeglass World, Vista Optical, Fred Meyer, and Vista Optical military, as well as Vision Center branded stores; and offers health maintenance organization and optometric services.